Geraldine "Gerry" Patricia Vidal

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness to announce that Mrs. Geraldine “Gerry” Patricia Vidal (Ryall), age 79, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday, November 17, 2023. Heaven has welcomed and embraced a beautiful soul on this day. Gerry was surrounded by her loved ones at her home in Haymarket, Virginia. She is finally free of her earthly disease, dementia and other ailments. Gerry was born in 1944 in the heart of the Bronx, New York to Charles and Eveyln Ryall. Charles was an immigrant from County Kerry Ireland and went through immigration on Ellis Island and became a US citizen. He adored his family and worked hard to make sure that his family remembered their Irish Catholic Roots. Gerry attended Catholic Schools in NYC and she learned Irish dance as a very young age. She always had her “Irish Smiling Eyes”. Kindness emulated from her beautiful smiling hazel green eyes. She had a love of music and people. She adored living in New York City. One of her highlights was that she attended the Ed Sullivan show and saw the Beatles in 1964. Living in New York City, opened her to many ethnicities and culinary delights. Gerry loved to see the good in all people and was never interested in politics or conflicts. She believed in kindness and giving to those in need. Even if she didn’t have much to give, she always would share what she could. Gerry has two sisters and a brother. Eileen was her older sister and Gerry always said that she was so beautiful. George was her older brother whose was funny and very tall and handsome. They were all very close growing up. Especially her younger sister Karen. They were 10 years apart and Gerry called Karen “Her Baby”. She loved her family tremendously and would always reminisce her childhood and family times. She loved to share all her memories with her daughter and husband. She met her husband, Ronald “Ronnie” Vidal in the late 1960’s, fell in love and they later married in the summer of 1969. They enjoyed flying to and from Cape Cod and all-over New England in Ronnie’s single engine airplane. Gerry wasn’t a fan of flying however she loved Ronnie and enjoyed visiting places. She was instantly welcomed and loved by his family. She was introduced to Portuguese dishes and loved their culture. Ronnie and Gerry were inseparable. They laughed, loved and lifted each other’s spirits. People used to notice that they always held hands and complimented each other every day. That’s the secret to 54 years of marriage, no matter what happens… at the end of the day show love. She was a survivor of Ovarian Cancer in the early 1970’s, which led to not being able to conceive children. She and her husband went through a very long adoption process with Holt International Adoption Agency (Christian based adoption Agency). They were able to adopt their little girl from Seoul, South Korea. Kimberly was less than two years old when she arrived to be greeted by her new parents, Ronnie and Gerry in May of 1975. Gerry decided then and there to become a stay-at-home mom and adored every moment of it. She passed all her virtues and values to her daughter. She made sure that her daughter valued the importance of image and kindness. Gerry made sure that she always wore her lipstick and looked appropriate for the occasion. She loved trends and hairstyles. She was often remembered as the style trendy Aunt. Most importantly, she had a deep love for her family. Whether they were near or far, she always was there for them. Many happy memories were made with her granddaughter, Brookie. She adored her and every minute they spent together. Whether it was playing barbies, games, blowing bubbles or just hanging out. Even at the age of 75, she was riding roller coasters with her granddaughter at Hershey Park. She was beyond proud of Brookie and all her accomplishments like dance, martial arts, piano, drawings and most of all … hugs and kisses. She would always say “I love you to the moon and back, Brookie…” Gerry had a gentle soul and love for all animals especially cats and dogs. She loved them all and they would always warm up to her. Gerry and her family moved up and down the East coast from Connecticut to Florida and back. They always made new friends along the way and many new memories. After retiring in Connecticut, she and her husband decided to retire to South Carolina. They lived there for 18 years and moved in with their daughter’s family in Viriginia in 2021 after declining health. She was beginning the battle of Lewy Body Dementia and other health issues. Gerry is predeceased by her father, Charles Ryall and her mother Evelyn Ryall. She is survived by her husband, Ronald “Ronnie” Vidal, her daughter Kimberly Barker (Vidal), her son-in-love, Robert Barker, granddaughter Brooke Barker, step-granddaughter Tina Barker, her sister, Eileen Miller of Middle Island, NY, her brother George Ryall of Winter Springs, Florida, and her sister Karen Sandstrom of Interlachen, Florida. She has several brother in laws, and sister in laws, and many nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and nephews who live all through out the East Coast of the United States. A private celebration of life event will be held in the spring of 2024 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in Gerry’s memory. In lieu of flowers, the family of Gerry is asking that you pray for those who are battling Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease and donate to Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/donate We Love you to the Moon and Back…

Geraldine "Gerry" Patricia Vidal

June 26, 1944 - November 17, 2023